Christmas Dress

Aren't the kids adorable in the Christmas finest?! We decided to go with Purple this year for Christmas instead of the traditional red or black. We, the girls, also had to get silver or sparkly shoes of some kind which I love. The boys look great in purple with their ties and suits. I think everyone looks great. This year is the year Kaitlyn goes to visit her mom at Christmas so we all got dressed up in our finest this past Sunday and took some pictures. I wish Kaijsa and Kira were here to be in it but not this year. Next year we'll have the girls, hopefully Kaijsa will come, and we can do another photo. Larry and I hopped in the pic too and I think it turned out ok. Thanks Jen for taking the pictures for us! I love this time of year and I love seeing the kids all dressed up for church. They clean up nicely. I'll post more pictures of the holiday season but wanted to get this one up so y'all could see the cute kids. Merry Christmas everyone!

Halloween 2011

Halloween 2011 was a beautiful day/night. We had a great time at our Ward Trunk-or-Treat. Kamden and Kinsee went to a Halloween Party and had a great time with their friends. Kait dressed up and went to a dance, which she enjoyed. Larry and I were zombies. He did the makeup and did a great job! The kids were all cute. Kait was a wench, Kamden was Iron Man, Kinsee was a Ballerina Snow White, Kai was Cinderella, and Kallen was a vampire. I think they were all so dang cute! It was the first Halloween I've had off in years and I had a great time helping get them ready and taking them to get candy. Kait took them out again around the neighborhood but mostly we did the trunk or treat. I love Halloween and dressing up. Now we'll think about what all to be next year!

Kallen's 1st Birthday

Once we got back from our trip it was time for Maricopa's Stagecoach Days and Kallen's 1st Birthday! We had fun going to the carnival but sad because only Kamden and Kinsee could ride the rides. Kai was pretty upset she couldn't ride but was happy once again when we got Cotton Candy. Jen took her to play one of the games and she won a little bear. Kinsee too played one of the games and won a bear while Kamden rode the Ferris Wheel with a friend from school. He and his friend, Preston, rode the ferris wheel with Preston's mom and had a great time going so high. Kam and Kinsee rode all that they could which worked out being all the cash I had on hand at the time. Got our cotton candy and enjoyed the beautiful weather. Larry and Kallen had Daddy/Son bonding time while we went to do this. When we got back together I made little Doodlebug Cupcakes for his treat. I think they turned out cute. The kids enjoyed having their own cakes and once Kallen got past the "what is this, can I eat it now?" he dove right in. We sang, we ate and he made the mess I wanted him to make. I love it when they shove it in their mouths and get it all over. Each of the kids have done this which is why their first birthday pics have them being non-clothed. Once done we put him in the tub and got him all clean and comfy for bed. He received some clothes and some shake and go Cars cars which he loves. Thanks for the idea Chris and Kim! He also received a couple other toys which quickly got lost. I hate getting toys at times because with all the kids it's a guarantee that we won't have all the parts for long, which held true with his toys too. We do have the cars though so yay!

Kallen is wearing a 2T and started walking shortly after his 1st birthday. Now he doesn't get as grumpy because he can follow and keep up with his brother and sisters. He's up and down the stairs and all over the house. He's so funny because he'll just sometimes run around the room like "look at me and what I can do!" He makes us laugh. He had his Dr.'s appointment but I can't really remember the STATs. I've gotten so bad at this. I think he was 31 inches and close to 22lbs. He's still a lightweight but is getting taller. He's following the tradition of all the kids, tall and skinny. Even some of his 2T jammy tops are now too small. He and Kai have these little buddah bellies that crack me up. I love them. So even though he's a 18 month bottom he's really a 2/3T on top, depending on the top. Mostly I just buy 2T's to keep it safe. He loves cars and playing with his brother and sisters. He loves music and sitting at the piano pretending to play. Maybe he will some day which I think would be fantastic. He sleeps well and eats well and is a huge blessing in our home. We love you Kallen Dean! Here's to many more years of laughter, snuggles and keeping up with you!

Last days of UT

These pictures are of the last couple of days in UT. We were able to go to Salt Lake City Temple Square as a family and had a nice quiet time. The kids loved seeing the Temple and to look around the visitors center. We saw all the beautiful statues and really just enjoyed the peace that is felt there. We had fun walking around and seeing the sister missionaries and to show the kids where General Conference is held. We had just watched conference a week or two before so it was fun to show them where it was. I love visiting Temple Square. I'm sad the Christmas lights weren't up but it was still a beautiful day.

My sister and I ran in a 5K in SLC to help the John Huntsman Cancer Foundation. We had been training for a month or so and had a great time dressing up as zombies to race. Jen hurt her knee in training so ended up walking the Creep-N-Crawl with some friends while I ran the 5K. Rather I walked/ran since the altitude is very different from AZ where I was training plus still trying to get into shape. But I had my music, support of family and finished strong. We had a great time and Larry did an amazing job on our Zombie Makeup. There were several really cool costumes and the kids had fun going and cheering us on. I would definitely keep training and do it again.

Halloween came and Kallen's birthday which I'll try to find pictures of and continue to update. Our Fall Break Trip was a lot of fun and much needed for our family. We loved visiting family and friends and hope we can do it again before too long.

Day 6 in UT for Trip

After spending a night with my family Larry's family came back up to meet us in Salt Lake City to visit the Zoo! Larry's little sis Teresa and her two cute kids Taileigh and Tayvan plus his parents and little brother and his family all came to see the zoo with us. We had a great time walking around and seeing the animals. The kids played and chased one another. We got to visit and just enjoy the beautiful day. We really did have the best weather while we were there. The animals cooperated and were out and about. The carousel was fun and the train ride was ok. The playland was fun for the kids but a bit crowded I thought. Brayden and Kallen were cute together. Again, I wish we were a bit closer for the cousins to all play. Tai and Tayvan are great with our kids and I love Larry's family. It was nice to have time in UT to visit and relax and do fun things. We got some fun souvenirs and took our time enjoying being together at the zoo. I find being at the zoo very relaxing, weird I know, but true. Thanks for meeting us there and spending the time with us Salings and Guymons!

Day 5 of our UT Trip

I know it's been a long time since my last post, I hope y'all can forgive me. I'm going to continue where I left off and HOPE to catch up before too long.

On day 5 of our UT Trip for the kid's Fall Break we left Grandma and Grandpa Saling's home and headed to the Valley. We spent some time with my brother and his family as well as a roommate of mine from college. Somehow I didn't get a picture with her and her family (sorry Kaylyn!). On Monday we drove up to the American Fork area and just relaxed. Tuesday we decided to have Family Home Evening and go to the Corn Maze. At least I think we went on Tuesday but I guess it could have been Monday and we relaxed on Tues. I can't remember. But it doesn't really matter. I do know that we went to the Corn Maze and had a great time. Drew and his family went with us and fun was had by all. Kamden and Graeme hit it off and became best buds. I wish we lived closer so these two could hang out, they are fun to watch together. McKenna and Kaitlyn hung out, Miranda hung out with them as well as the little girls. Kinsee and Kaileigh love having older girl cousins to spend time with. We played and played. We saw the pig/goat races. Mck won a pig nose or Graeme did or possibly both. Jen and I rode the mechanical bull. I am proud to say I stayed on longer than her. I was also pretty sore the next day but it was fun. The kids played in the bounce houses and on the Pillow bouncy things that were fun. There was so much to do and it was all fun. The weather was beautiful. The Corn Maze was big and fun but we quickly got lost. We ended up not really finishing and just finding our way out. Kids and adults were tired and it was starting to get cold. I'm so glad we went and did it though. I think all of us had a good time. I would definitely go back and do it again. So glad family and friends went with us.